L: Anthropoid coffin of Irethorrou. R: Visualization of Irethorrou showing two amulets on his forehead by Sarah Hegmann of eHuman, Inc. using Osirix software.
Very Postmortem: Mummies and Medicine October 31, 2009 — August 15, 2010
Very Postmortem: Mummies and Medicine explores the modern scientific examination of mummies providing new insights into the conditions under which the Egyptians lived, bringing us closer to understanding who they were. The exhibition is a homecoming celebration marking the return of Irethorrou, the Fine Arts Museums’ mummy who has been on loan since 1944. CT-scans done by scientists at Stanford Medical School shed light on Irethorrou’s physical attributes and cause of death. The scans provide depth and scientific background to the exhibition and contribute to a three-dimensional “fly through” of the mummy and a forensic reconstruction of his head. The exhibition also includes a variety of ancient artifacts that date from approximately 664–525 B.C., the Late Period from the 26th Saite Dynasty.
View behind-the-scenes photos of the mummy being prepared for transportation from Stockton to San Francisco, and its subsequent journey to Stanford University Medical Center to undergo a CT scan:
More behind-the-scenes activity can be found in this video produced by Stanford Medicine:
Credit Line This exhibition is organized by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco with the cooperation of the Akhmim Mummy Studies Consortium and the radiology department of the Stanford Medical School. Additional project assistance has been provided by the Stanford Division of Anatomy, eHuman Inc., and Fovia Inc.
Generous support is provided by the William E. Winn, Jr., Living Trust and the Dorothy Tyler Living Trust.
Thank you to Intel Corporation for their generous in-kind donation.
